It Just Won't Work
by CrypticGirl
Summary: Chloe is finally ready to confess her feelings for Senel. But will it turn out to be a mistake? SenelxChloe oneshot.


Disclaimer: As always, Namco owns ToL.

Author's Note: This is my take on the Senel/Chloe relationship. They may be great together on the battlefield, but off the battlefield...hoo boy.

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The party had been together for so long. Throughout most of the journey and ever after, Chloe Valens had secretly harbored feelings for Senel Coolidge. And to this day, Senel had no idea.

For some odd reason, Chloe had been afraid to confess her feelings. Even the times when she had displayed her affection, she could sense Senel's neutrality. When she held him in the Forest of No Return, Senel felt nothing. Or perhaps it was the fact that Senel and Shirley were attached together like Siamese twins. Considering that, Chloe figured that nothing was going to happen between her and Senel.

On the other hand, Norma had always pressured Chloe into making the moves on Senel. Perhaps if she did make a move, she and Senel could have a true relationship. Senel's relationship with Shirley was a mere brother/sister relationship. Yes...something just might happen...if only Chloe would make her move.

Chloe sat in her room at the hospital pondering all of this. _Oh, I just can't do it..._

Then she had an idea. Perhaps she should seek advice from the other members of the party. Perhaps seeing each of their insights would help her make a solid decision. The first person to ask would be Norma.

-------------

"So, you're finally ready to make your move, huh, C?" Norma asked.

"Well, I guess..." Chloe said. "But I don't know if it'll work. I mean, Coolidge already loves Shirley, and..."

"Well duh! Shirl is Senny's sister, you know. Well, not really, but you know what I mean."

"Sister..." was all Chloe could manage.

"Right. Senny only has family love for Shirl," Norma explained. "So maybe he might have romantic love for you."

"Hmm...I'll bet you're right," Chloe said. "Thanks."

"Go get him, C! I'll be routing for you!"

---------------------

Next, Chloe went to the camp where Moses and his bandits were camping out.

"Sandor...I need some advice," she said.

Moses sat up. "You need advice...from me?"

"Well...I know you have good things to say when it comes to...love."

Moses grinned. "All right! You came to the right place! So what can I do ya for?"

"Well...I want to confess my feelings for Coolidge."

"Oh...I thought somethin' was goin' on between the two of you."

"But I'm not sure if I should or not."

"No kiddin'. The love between a knight of Gadoria and an Alliance marine. What scandal! What intrigue!"

Chloe sighed. "Sandor..."

"All right, all right. There ain't nothin' wrong with that. You can love anyone you like."

"But do you really think I can...I mean, will it work out?"

"Well...it may not work. You always seem so uptight when you're around Senel. You should choose someone whom you can be yourself with. Y'know, someone like me, for example."

"Grr!" Chloe gave Moses a hard slap to the face, knocking him out cold, then stormed away from the camp.

--------------------

Later on, Chloe waited for Jay to visit Werites Beacon again. When he arrived, she invited him into her hospital room. Jay stood in the center of the room, thoroughly confused.

"What's the matter, Chloe?" he asked, hiding his confusion.

Chloe shook her head. "I can't fight it anymore. I...I'm in love with Coolidge. I want to tell him, but I don't know if I should. What do you think, Jay? Do you think I should?"

"Hmm..." Jay thought about it for a moment. "I'm not sure if I'm the right person to ask. Romance is one of my worst subjects."

"I'm asking everyone," Chloe told him. "I want to hear everyone's different views. I've already asked Norma and Sandor."

Jay gave her an odd look. "You asked Moses? What could that stupid bandit possibly say? Never mind, I don't want to know."

"I just want to know if it'll work out between me and Coolidge. I just want your opinion, Jay. Do you think it'll work between us?"

"Hmm...given what I know about the two of you, I would say no. Not at this stage, at least."

"What you know about us?" Chloe asked.

"I would also suggest that you keep your feelings to yourself," Jay continued. "With what I know about Senel, I can already predict his reaction. If it comes true, with your reaction to his reaction, then Senel won't live to see 18."

"What...?" Chloe paused, trying to make sense of Jay's words. "What do you mean by that?"

"Let me put it this way. What would you do if Senel said no?"

"I...I don't know what I would do."

"Then I don't know either. On the other hand, knowing you, I believe I know what you would do."

"Wait...just how well do you know me?"

"I know you better than you know. You're just like me; your tendency to hide your emotions is uncanny. It's a shame that you're no good at hiding your feelings. I was never that good either. I suppose emotions are something that just can't be hidden. But if you try to hide them too long, then you just...snap. Believe me, it's happened before. And since you've hidden your feelings for Senel for so long...well, you do the math."

Chloe sighed. "All right..."

"So what will you do?" Jay asked.

"I guess right now I'll just...do the math."

"All right. Well, if that's all you needed, I must be leaving now." Jay turned and left the hospital room, leaving Chloe to ponder some more.

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Chloe then left the hospital and headed for Will Raynard's house. She was a bit disappointed with Jay's "advice," as it seemed rather ominous. But then again, it did not surprise her, because implying these omens was always in Jay's nature. Chloe stopped in front of Will's house. While Jay had intelligence, Will had a certain wisdom that Jay just did not have. She'd be able to get some good advice from Will.

As she approached the doorstep, she spotted Grune planting flowers in the garden.

"Let us take a little seed, plant it gently, water it well..." she sang. "Little seedling nestled in the ground, grow up safe and sound..."

Chloe intended to walk straight into Will's house, but Grune stood up to face her.

"Oh, hello, Chloe," she said.

"Oh...hello," Chloe said.

"What's the matter? It looks like something is troubling you."

"Well...yeah...but I'm fine."

"What's troubling you, Chloe?"

"I'm trying to decide if I should tell Coolidge how I feel."

"Oh, you love Senel? That's wonderful. I think you should tell him," Grune said.

"Really?"

"I'm sure Senel really loves you, too. We all love each other."

"Well, it's a little...deeper than that," Chloe told her.

"Hmm..." Grune paused to ponder for a while. Chloe took the chance to slip into Will's house.

"Is that you, Chloe?" Will called from the kitchen.

"Yeah...sorry to barge in like this," Chloe said. "I just need some advice."

Will washed his hands, then joined her in the living room. "All right, I'm listening."

"It's about Coolidge. I've kept it hidden for a long time, but I...I want to tell him how I feel. But I don't know if I should. Is there something wrong with me?"

"Well...there are a few issues that you still need to iron out," Will told her. "But it's nothing to do with this."

"Seriously?"

"When you're really ready, you won't need to ask me or anyone else. You'll just know what to do."

Chloe stopped to reflect on his words. "Raynard...that's the best advice I've gotten all day. Thanks."

"You're welcome. Good luck."

Chloe stood up and stepped outside again. She stopped to ponder once again.

_When I'm really ready, I know what to do. So I guess this means I'm not really ready. Then again...I promised everyone that I wouldn't hide my feelings anymore. If something is on my mind, I should just speak up. Okay, I'm finally ready. I'm going to tell Coolidge how I feel._

-----------------

With her decision made, Chloe went over to Senel's house to set up the proper mood. In order for this to work, they would need to be alone in a romantic setting. Chloe knocked on Senel's door, and Senel answered within seconds.

"What's up, Chloe?" he asked.

"I have something to tell you," Chloe said. "Can you meet me at Lumen Spring after dark? I'll tell you then."

"Sure," Senel replied. "But...why not now?"

"It's something...secret. I just can't talk about it until we're alone."

"Oh...all right."

"Thanks. I'll be waiting."

---------------------

The night just couldn't come quick enough. For Chloe, many questions flew through her mind as she waited for Senel at Lumen Spring. Was it a good idea to confess her feelings? How would Senel react? Does he love her as well? Or was he still in love with Stella? Or Shirley? What if he didn't love Chloe?

Senel found Chloe looking over the water at Lumen Spring. The moonlight reflected off the water, making it resemble diamonds strewn across the blue blanket.

"Chloe..." Senel said.

Chloe turned to him. "Coolidge...thanks for coming."

"So what was it that you wanted to talk about?"

"Coolidge...I have something to say."

"What is it, Chloe? You sound serious."

"I...well, I...um...there's really no easy way to say this. I...I love you."

Senel's eyes widened. "What?"

"I love you!" Chloe repeated, almost forcefully.

Senel's expression returned to normal. "Oh."

Chloe felt a burst of rage rising within her. "'Oh'? Is that all you can say?"

"Well, what do you want me to say?"

"You could at least try to appreciate my feelings! Ever since you saved me from drowning in the Waterways, my feelings just exploded within me. I never was able to gather the courage to tell you...until now."

"All right."

"And now that I've told you, you're saying that means nothing to you!?"

"No, it's not like that," Senel said. "It's just...look, it's not going to work, all right?"

"Why not!? Oh, that's right, you chose Stella."

"No, it's not that..."

"Then you chose Shirley?"

"No! Well, yeah...not really, but..."

"Would you make up your mind!?" Chloe snapped.

"Me? Just what are you getting at?" Senel responded.

"Ugh!" Chloe waved her arms out at Senel. "Despicable! Worthless! Coward!"

"What!?"

"Grr!" Without warning, Chloe ripped out her sword. Before Senel could react, he felt the piercing pain of the blade being forced through his torso.

"Arrgh...not again..." Senel groaned as he tipped backwards, hitting the ground with a thud.

"Hmph!" Chloe turned on her heels and marched away.

Unbeknownst to either of them, the rest of the group was hiding behind bushes nearby the spring, witnessing the entire conversation.

"Ooohhh..." they muttered in unison.

They came out and gathered around Senel, who was staring up at the sky, oblivious to everything around him.

"Women..." he groaned. "You can't live with 'em...you can't live without 'em..."

Norma and Shirley used their crystal eres to heal Senel's wound. Senel sat up and looked at everyone.

"What are you guys doing here?" he asked. "Did you see all of that just now?"

The group nodded.

"I can't believe she just up and stabbed you again!" Moses said.

Jay shook his head. "You can't say you didn't see that coming."

Senel sighed. "Come to think of it, I should have seen that coming, too. It's just like they say: Once a hare-brained chick, always a hare-brained chick."

"You gotta wonder how much she really loves you if she's gonna do that," Moses added.

"That's enough, everyone," Will said. "Let's go ahead and turn in for the night. We'll have a word with Chloe in the morning."

The others nodded. "Right."

---------------

Chloe lay in her hospital bed staring up at the ceiling when she heard a knock on the door. She got up to answer it, and Elsa stood outside with a note.

"Good morning, Chloe," she said. "I have a letter for you."

Chloe took the letter. "Thanks."

"What's the matter, Chloe? Your eyes are so red."

"No, it's nothing. I'm fine."

Elsa shrugged. "Okay. Let's get together and do something later on."

Chloe nodded. "Okay. See you later."

She closed the door gently, then opened the letter.

_Chloe, please come to the Fountain Plaza. And come alone._

The note wasn't even signed, so Chloe stopped to ponder.

"Who could that be?" she asked herself. "Could it be Coolidge?"

The note didn't even specify what time to go to the plaza, so Chloe assumed that it meant right now.

Chloe left the hospital and walked over to the Fountain Plaza. Upon arrival, she found the rest of the group (minus Senel) waiting for her.

"Vrrroooommmm!" They all waved their arms, imitating an airplane crashing into the ground and exploding.

"What's going on?" Chloe asked.

"That was pretty good, what you did to Senny last night, C," Norma said.

"Perhaps you took my advice too seriously," Will said. "Or perhaps you misunderstood."

"What do you mean?" Chloe asked.

"Don't you remember?" Moses asked. "You were like, 'Despicable! Worthless! Coward!' And then, 'Yaaah!'"

He thrust his spear into Chloe's torso, stopping before it could penetrate her. He then fell backwards, as if he were the one who had been stabbed.

"Ahh, not again!" Moses hit the ground with a thud.

Jay rolled his eyes. "Once a stupid bandit, always a stupid bandit."

Chloe's eyes widened. "You saw that?"

"We sure did," Jay told her. "Now you know what I meant when I told you that Senel wouldn't live to see 18."

Chloe gasped. "You mean that Coolidge is..."

"No, Senel's just fine," Will said. "If we hadn't been there, though, we might have lost him."

"Dammit, C!" Norma yelled. "If I knew you were going to stab him, I never would have rooted for you! I hope Senny gets his revenge!"

Chloe glared at her. "Don't worry, I'm completely over him now."

Everyone looked surprised. "Seriously??"

"Who could possibly love a despicable twit like him anyway!?"

Without waiting for an answer, Chloe stormed out of the plaza, leaving everyone stunned.

Shirley closed her eyes and sighed. "Ahh..."

"He's all yours now, Shirl," Norma whispered into her ear.

Shirley's face took on a look of shock, but she said nothing.

--------------------

As Chloe walked down the town's streets, she ran into Senel.

"Oh Chloe, it's you," Senel said, a bit of annoyance in his voice.

"Coolidge..." Chloe said, "about last night..."

Senel glared at her, then walked past her. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Coolidge, wait!" Chloe turned around and followed him.

"Just leave me alone!" Senel snapped.

Chloe stopped for a moment. _I'm not going to lose him! Yes, what I've done was foolish...but I won't be like that anymore! All I have to do is get Coolidge to understand._

She continued to follow Senel until he reached his house and went inside. Chloe paused for another moment before knocking on the door.

Senel instantly answered the door...and then just as instantly rammed his fist into Chloe's abdomen, then rushed forward, pushing her all the way across the road. Senel only stopped after pushing Chloe into a house, blowing a hole in the wall. After the smoke cleared, Senel turned and stormed back into his house, slamming the door.

"Wh...what was that about?" Chloe wondered. No sooner than the question left her lips, a single brick fell on top of her head.

Moses and Norma stood in the road nearby.

"Looks like Senny got really pissed off, huh?" Norma asked.

"Sure did," Moses said. "I always knew that Shirley was better for him."

With their conclusion, they walked down the street.

-------------------

**Chloe received the title of "Hare-Brained Chick!"**  
_ Yes, your brain bounces around like a hare._


End file.
